The world’s largest ice tank is preparing for an Arctic nobody fully understands yet

Aalto University’s 40-by-40-meter Ice and Wave Tank in Espoo is testing ships and offshore structures in controlled sea-ice conditions.

The facility can also create multidirectional waves, letting researchers study how vessels and wind infrastructure behave in ice.

Scientists grow artificial ice from the bottom up and measure its mechanical properties before running scaled model tests.

The work is increasingly important as Arctic shipping and offshore development grow, making accurate ice modeling vital for safety and design.